Purina PRO Plan and Hill’s Science Diet are among the most popular cat foods not only in the US but globally.
Both brands boast shiny premium-looking packaging though both serve the midrange market in terms of price. But are they something that you should feed your cat?
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Purina PRO Plan vs. Hills Science Diet Cat Food?
For this comparison, we’ve chosen Purina PRO Plan Indoor Care Turkey & Rice Formula and Hill’s® Science Diet® Adult 7+ Indoor Cat Food. Our recommendation is to avoid both. Here’s why.
Purina’s formula lists three ingredients high on the list that shouldn’t be in cat food at all. Corn, soy, and wheat are fillers that don’t bring quality nutrition to your cat. Some vets advise that grains are dangerous to cats because they are not “made” to process them. Others oppose, saying that cats have been evolving for thousands of years and grains are not as taxing on their digestive system as some make it be. In either case, grains are unnecessary in a cat’s diet. On the upside, Purina’s formula does list turkey as the first ingredient and comes at 45% protein on a dry matter basis (DMB), but this doesn’t mean much when the next two ingredients are rice and corn.
Inspired by raw nutrition, delivering a safe, convenient, ready-to-serve food. Irresistible high meat recipes and no added carbs for weight management. 
Hill’s formula doesn’t offer anything different. It contains corn and wheat, and even though there’s no soy in the recipe, there’s another cheap filler – dried beet pulp. This formula lists chicken as number one ingredient, followed by wheat and corn. Hill’s product contains less protein – 34% on a DMB. Note that the high protein count of Purina’s formula doesn’t suggest quality – grains, and corn not only fill your cat quickly due to being high in carbs but they also up the protein percentage. However, cats need whole protein to thrive and survive which only comes from meat.
Ingredients
Purina PRO Plan Indoor Care Turkey & Rice Formula
Turkey, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, chicken meal, dried egg product, soy protein isolate, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), fish meal, powdered cellulose, wheat flour, animal liver flavor, soybean hulls, inulin, gelatin, potassium chloride, phosphoric acid, salt, choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, calcium carbonate, taurine, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), manganese sulfate, niacin, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, Vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), and sodium selenite.
Hill’s® Science Diet® Adult 7+ Indoor Cat Food
Chicken, Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Fat, Powdered Cellulose, Wheat Gluten, Brewers Rice, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Liver Flavor, Lactic Acid, Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Fish Oil, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Taurine, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Iodized Salt, L-Lysine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Green Peas, Natural Flavors, Apples, Cranberries, Carrots, Broccoli, Beta-Carotene.
Read More:
Nutritional Analysis
Pet food ingredients, nutritional values, and the way they are labeled for consumers are monitored by several organizations in the United States including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the NGO, Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
Purina PRO Plan Indoor Care Turkey & Rice Formula
|
Crude Protein (min) |
40% |
|
Crude Fat (min) |
13.5% |
|
Crude Fiber (max) |
4.8% |
|
Moisture (max) |
12% |
|
Linoleic acid (min) |
1.4% |
|
Vitamin A (min) |
10000 IU/kg |
|
Vitamin E (min) |
400 IU/kg |
|
Taurine (min) |
0.15% |
*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Cat Food
Calorie Content (calculated):
Metabolizable Energy (ME): 4037 kcal/kg (1835 kcal/lb, 445 kcal/cup)
Hill’s® Science Diet® Adult 7+ Indoor Cat Food
|
Protein |
34% |
|
Fat |
19.8% |
|
Crude fiber |
9% |
|
Carbohydrate/NFE |
31.3% |
|
Calcium |
0.8% |
|
Phosphorous |
0.58% |
|
Potassium |
0.71% |
|
Magnesium |
0.076% |
|
Taurine |
0.24% |
|
Carnitine |
559.8 ppm |
|
Vitamin C |
141 ppm |
|
Vitamin E |
661 IU/kg total |
|
Omega-3 FA |
0.49% total |
|
Omega-6 FA |
3.95% |
*The nutrients in the product after moisture is removed. It is used to make direct comparisons of nutrient profiles with differing moisture contents.
Calorie Content
3734 kcal/kg (328 kcal/cup†)
†An eight fluid oz. measuring cup of Hill’s® Science Diet® Adult 7+ Indoor Cat Food contains 3.1 oz. by weight.
Feeding Amounts
A sudden change in diet might give your cat an upset stomach, diarrhea, and other problems.
When switching your cat to a new formula do it gradually. You can do it in 10 days by mixing 10% more of the new food with each day. So, the first day you feed your cat a mix of 90% of the old formula and 10% of the new one, 2nd day – 80% from the old formula, and 20% from the new one, and so on.
Purina PRO Plan Indoor Care Turkey & Rice Formula
Cat weight: feeding amount
5-9 lbs (2.3 – 4.1 kg) cat: ¼ – ½ cups (30-59 g)*
10-14 lbs (4.5-6.3 kg) cat: ? – 1 cups (78-117 g)*
*Using a standard 8 oz/250 ml measuring cup which contains approximately 117 g of Pro Plan.
Hill’s® Science Diet® Adult 7+ Indoor Cat Food
Cat weight: feeding amount
4 lb (1,8 kg): 1/3 cup (30 g)
5 lb (2,3 kg): 3/8 cup (35 g)
8 lb (3,6 kg): 1/2 cup (45 g)
10 lb (4,5 kg): 2/3 cup (60 g)
12 lb (5,4 kg): 3/4 cup (65 g)
14 lb (6,4 kg): 7/8 cup (75 g)
16 lb (7,3 kg): 1 cup (90 g)
What About Other Options?
Another popular animal food brand brought up alongside and Hill’s® is . Similar to and Hill’s, suffers from a lack of quality ingredients. The first in their Indoor Cat formula is . Not the best first impression, and the ingredients don’t get any better. You can check them out here. Despite this, offers a wide variety of for cats and dogs, including formulas requiring approval.
Bottom Line
As noted above we do not recommend either Purina PRO Plan Indoor Care Turkey & Rice Formula nor Hill’s® Science Diet® Adult 7+ Indoor Cat Food as both of them are full of fillers.
Things are not any different across these brands as a whole – they have rich product lines that do not differ much from each other. The reason these foods are so popular is that they are cheap, available at every store, and have pretty deep pockets for marketing. They also offer a wide variety of options in both and , along with prescription diet options. This can be an attractive option for who have finicky cats or cats that need a specific . Additionally, both of these brands are known to be pushed by vets due to contractual obligations.
If you are looking for high-quality, affordable food consider Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Cat Recipe. You can also check out our cat food guide!
Inspired by raw nutrition, delivering a safe, convenient, ready-to-serve food. Irresistible high meat recipes and no added carbs for weight management.
Further readings for cat lovers:
Purina Pro Plan vs Blue Buffalo Cat Food Compared: Which is Best?
Purina Pro Plan vs Purina One Cat Food [2022 UPDATE]
Best Low Ash Cat Food Options Your Feline Will Love
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